1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention generally pertains to a method of identifying allergens and other influencing agents that may cause a reaction in an individual and more specifically pertains to a software program for carrying out the method.
2. Description of Related Art
Many individuals (humans as well as other animals) may suffer various aliments and reactions due to their exposure to allergens or certain other adverse influencing agents. Such influencing agents may include foods (e.g., beverage, wheat, milk, medication, vitamins, food supplements, etc.), environmental exposures (mold, pollen, stress, etc.), and conditions such as constipation or a menstrual period. The reactions may include headaches, respiratory problems, skin problems, fatigue, constipation, abnormal blood pressure, depression, seizures, etc.
There are various techniques currently used to help identify allergens, foreign substances or other influencing agents that may adversely affect a particular individual. A skin prick test, for instance, is perhaps one of the most commonly used techniques. Although quite useful, such tests have some drawbacks. Skin prick tests typically involve a series of needle pricks that can be painful and frightening, particularly with younger children and some adults. Prick tests are not as valuable when trying to identify certain influencing agents such as sunlight, stress, and sleep loss. Moreover, skin tests are not as easily applied to pets and other non-human animals whose skin is covered with fur.
Before or in conjunction with a skin prick test, a patient may try an elimination diet to help identify the more likely causes of their reactions. An elimination diet involves systematically abstaining from certain foods over a given period. Each week, for instance, a person may eliminate one or more foods from their normal diet to see which foods may be causing the problem. Such a method, unfortunately, requires a lot of self-discipline and time. Elimination diets can take months or even years to complete, and sometimes they may never be completed if a person's tolerance to various foods changes over the years.
Also, the effectiveness of an elimination diet can be limited by the amount and variety of food that a person can consume in a given week (or other predetermined period). If a person, for instance, was free of any adverse reactions during a week when they abstained from milk, the person may believe they react to milk. During that same week, however, the person may have unknowingly avoided eating a hundred other foods, any one of which may be the real source of the problem. So, milk may not necessarily be the problem. If the person has a reaction after having milk the second week, the person may become even more convinced that milk is the problem even though the true adverse agent is actually one or more of those hundred other foods they avoided eating the first week but consumed the second week.
Consequently, there is a need for a reliable and painless way to help identify the influencing agents that may be causing an individual's adverse reactions, wherein the method can be used in conjunction with currently available methods of testing.